Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education

Plymouth Institute of Education (Faculty of Arts & Humanities)

Biography

Role

I have worked at Plymouth University since 2001 as a Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education. I completed my PhD in children's text production in online social networking sites in 2012. I currently lead and teach English on the PGCE programmes in the Plymouth Institute of Education. I also act as supervisor for Ph.D and Ed.D candidates. I have acted as professional tutor for PGCE students and have taught on the PGCE Professional Studies module. Currently I work in school with trainees following a School Direct training route, as well as with campus-based students. I am a dissertation supervisor for final year B.Ed English Specialist students.

I have an active research profile. My current interest is in 21st century children's writing and text production - in and beyond the school context. Currently I am researching into conceptualisations of children's writing in the 21st century.

I am Associate Editor for the Wiley Blackwell journal 'Literacy'.

I am an active member of the United Kingdom Literacy Association. I sit on their Executive Council and convene their Publications Sub-Committee.

I am passionate about the development of literacy in children's lives, within and beyond formal educational settings.

Qualifications

Plymouth University, PhD (2012)Text production in Bebo: A study of three children's text production in online social networking sites

Dowdall,C. (2016) Children’s text production in the 21st century: mastery,crafting and control Invited webinar for Hibernia CollegeResearch Seminar series, Dublin, February 2016

Dowdall,C. (2015) Children’s text production in the 21st century: mastery,crafting and control Invited seminar for UEA Research Seminarseries. Norwich, November 2015

Dowdall, C. (2015) Crafting and control: children as text producers in Bebo.Research paper. UKLA International Conference, Nottingham, July 2015

Dowdall, C. (2014) Creation and Curation: Social networking as mastery of the textual and the social, contributing to theSymposium ‘Digital Literacies: Past, present and future’ at the UKLA International Conference: 50 Years of Literacy: Continuity and Change. University of Sussex, July 2014

Dowdall, C. (2013) Social control and textual control: the mastery of text production in the everyday, Everyday language, Everyday Literacies Conference, University of Sheffield, 28-29th June 2013

Dowdall, C. (2009) Symposium participant: report of DAIWA funded international seminars and research project Personal and Professional: exploring the digital lives of intending teachers and their emerging classroom practice - reported at UKLA 45th International conference, Greenwich, London, July 2009

Dowdall, C. (2008) Performing and negotiating social identities through online text production The International Seminar for the development of Digital Literacies in Schools, Homes, and Communities, The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, Nara, Japan, December 2008

Dowdall, C. (2005) Symposium - Dissonance and Diversity: Children, literacies and identities Dissonance between the cultural words of school and home United Kingdom Literacy Association 41st International Conference, Bath, 2005

Dowdall, C. (2004) Three year 6 writers and their 'out-of-school' text production United Kingdom Literacy Association 40th International Conference, Manchester, 2004 Memberships

Media Literacies SIG (UKLA) November 2104 - present

Core group member of ESRC research seminar series: 'Children and young people's digital literacies in virtual online spaces' 2009 - 2011

Core group member of ESRC research seminar series: 'Rethinking Youth Culture in the age of Global Media 2008-2010

Core group member of ESRC research seminar group: 'Play, Creativity and Digital Cultures' March 2005 - July 2007

Core group member of UKLA Digital literacies SIG January 2006 - July 2007

Research groups

e-Learning

Early Childhood Studies

Professional Theory and Practice

Personal

Other academic activities

Invited to act as discussant at Language,Literacy and Identity International Conference, University of Sheffield,July 2016

Invited to become core member for Children’sDigital Books and Literacy Apps SIG (UKLA), September 2015